Almost 22 months!

I can't believe we are 2 months away from celebrating Luca's second birthday. Time can slow down now, ok? This little man seriously cracks us up every day. Today we stopped in at Big Lots after church and he said, "I need Cheetos". He "needs" a lot of things lately. Everything is "I NEED". His teachers at school tease him when he gets there in the morning saying "I need Luca". His newest obsession, besides Bubble Guppies, is bicycles, or motorcycles as he calls them. He hopped on a Barbie bike at Bible study tonight and was NOT happy about having to share. He is supposed to be getting a bike for his birthday, but I noticed the cozy coupe on sale in the Toys R Us catalog this week and he may be coming home with it this week. Hey, he NEEDS a bike, and a car for that matter. I really need to get better at not spoiling my kid. But he is only this age once...

Just 4 more weeks of school and I will be enjoying some quality time with my little man. We are heading to Indiana for a couple of weeks just the two of us, then to San Diego and LA to celebrate his 2nd birthday with a special trip to Sea World.
I can't wait!

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Things have been busy in the Sotomayor household, but that's nothing new. We spent the month of March enjoying the spring weather, and wishing it would last forever. But I know the heat is just around the corner and it will be here before we know it. We went up to Pinetop again for a couple of days, and it felt weird leaving the sun and heading for the snow during spring break. All in all it was nice to get away and spend some time together. I did learn though, Luca is not a fan of the snow.
This weekend we celebrated Easter. Luca left church singing "Jesus is alive". I love that we are part of such an amazing church that has such an awesome children's ministry with such a God focus. I know it is still our responsibility as parents to be in the Word with him and teaching him to follow Christ, but it helps to know that we have the support of our church as we raise him. Not only that, but he spends his days in a loving Christian daycare that also pours into him with the love of Christ. I know that by the time he reaches public school he will have a firm foundation in Christ, and that is invaluable.
This little guy is quite the pistol these days, and way too smart. He is stubborn, impatient, and wants things his way or no way. He is a control freak, and kind of demanding. He is his mother's son. So, getting an Easter picture was nearly impossible, despite lots of attempts at negotiating.

Dear Luca

Dear Baby Boy,
Can I even call you that anymore? You are growing into such a little man. It was so great spending this last week with you, and I hate to see tomorrow come, but summer will be here soon! You are so funny, and you always have us laughing. You absolutely love singing to toddler radio in the car, which we learned on our trip to Pinetop last week. Your favorite songs remain Wheels on the Bus and Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. I need to catch you singing and doing the motions on video! You and Tevez have recently realized that you can be fun playmates, and playing ball with Tevez always has you laughing. I love watching you guys together. You are also just a sweetie, and when you called out from the backseat today "I love you momma" I turned to mush. I love you baby boy. And you will always be my baby boy.

Love Momma

Come on spring!

We have had some unusually cold weather here in the valley the last couple of weeks, including snow (yes I said SNOW...in the desert!), with random warm days scattered in between. Today is a little chilly, but the sun is shining and I'm so ready for spring. I am not, however, ready for what comes after spring...110+ degree days that keep us trapped inside for months. I guess that's the price we pay for gorgeous weather from November to May. Yesterday Luca and I spent the morning at Friendship Park feeding the ducks and checking out the farmer's market. There was a guy playing the steel drums that had him mesmerized. I love those Saturday morning nowhere to be spur of the moment outings with my little man. We also danced to our song (You Are My Sunshine) in the dining room while I took a break from cleaning. He held my hand and melted my heart. And I had to try to remember that feeling when he woke me up at 4:30 this morning demanding cartoons and jumping around in our bed. Yawn. I can sleep when I'm old. I am just so in love with him, and it grows every day. I wish tomorrow wasn't Monday already.
On another totally random note, we are kicking off a new healthy eating and exercise plan tomorrow, including some paleo inspired food choices, and I'm looking forward to having more energy!
For now though, here is the man of my life (well, the other one)

Dear Luca...

Well baby boy...who isn't such a baby anymore...it's been awhile since mommy wrote you. Let me start off by saying I am so thankful you are feeling better and getting back to my happy little boy after battling pneumonia twice this winter! You are amazing me these days with how much you know, and how much you talk! Every day I hear something new from your little mouth. This past Tuesday you counted to ten in Spanish all by yourself!!!! Daddy and I were putting on your pjs and you were counting the spots on my leopard sweater. I almost fell over in shock! It also brought tears to my eyes. We were so proud! You still need some practice, but I know you are so smart! You also identified the color blue today, and loved the blue lollipop you got after your haircut, and you asked for a blue cup when we got home. Is that your favorite color? I loved having a three day weekend with you, and we had so much fun at a birthday party and playing at the park. You love to be out in the sun just like mommy. I am going to miss you when I am at work tomorrow, but I know you love your school too. They always tell me you are a happy boy and very talkative. I believe that. I hope we get to snuggle and watch some cartoons tomorrow morning before starting our busy day. That's my favorite time of day. Watching Hippa Hippa Hey or Eggbird in bed while you drink your milk. I love you so much, and I am so blessed to be your mommy.